The Death of a Secret
by Kris Phantom
Summary: How would Danny take Death? Stuck in the Ghost Zone, what to do, lets see... theres school, Walker, learning, Walker, beating up and or killing a certain 40 something year old, and possibly Walker. Story better than the summary, P.S.Dani's in the story!
1. Bad News

**This is my first Fanfic! I've read a few stories, and I thought it would be neat to make one of my own. **

**Note: Jack may be a little out of character, so sorry if he is, I just think it would be necessary for him to act a little less eccentric in this chapter, that's all.**

**I've seen these on all of 'em, so:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, just this story's plot. **

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The Death of a Secret

_**Chapter 1: Bad News**_

Danny woke up as the bright sunlight filled his room. He yawned, stretched, and jumped out of bed.

"It's Saturday! Hurray!" Danny shouted happily as he quickly pulled his T-shirt on.

"Jazz, Danny! We have a surprise for you!" His mother yelled up the stairs. Danny pulled on his shoes and fixed his hair before running down the stairs. He skid into the kitchen.

"What's the surprise?" He asked, out of breath as he sat at the table. Jazz sat next to him, looking very tired. His parents were arguing about something.

"Long night?" Danny asked his sister quietly.

"Yup, developing a thesis." She responded. "You?"

"No longer than usual. The Box Ghost, mostly." He yawned softly. His parents stopped whispering.

"Kids, we're going to Wisconsin." Jack said quietly. Danny's eyes widened. Maddie took a deep breath and continued.

"Vlad has offered us, help, on several of our inventions. This is nothing to worry about." She added, seeing Danny's eyes.

"W-what about Sam and Tucker? And school?" Danny stuttered, his joyous morning shattered.

"That's what we're concerned about. Here, read Vlad's letter." Maddie handed Danny and Jazz a piece of paper. It read:

_**Maddie and Jack Fenton,**_

_**How are you? I was wondering if you'd like any help on your inventions. I would absolutely love it if you brought your children. Also, please bring Daniel's friends, don't want him to be lonely, now would we? They will be home schooled, of course, but that is beside the point. I will send a private jet over immediately.**_

_**Thank you,**_

_**Vlad Masters**_

Danny and Jazz gulped. Jazz had known about Danny's secret for a long time, and also knew about Vlad's. Vlad was the Wisconsin Ghost. He was the man that was always plotting to kill their dad and marry their mom. The one who wanted Danny as a son, though Jazz was unsure if Vlad wanted her as a daughter, he _**had**_tried.

"The jet is coming at around two o' clock, so call Sam and Tucker and see if they're interested. Then pack." His mother said. His parents stood up and walked down to the lab to pack. Jazz stood up and went upstairs to her room to pack as well. Danny stayed at the table in shock. He glanced at the clock, it was already noon.

"Guess I better call Sam and Tucker." Danny muttered sadly. He stood up and walked over to the phone. He dialed Sam's number. He heard her phone ring twice before Sam's voice filled his ears. He sighed before he spoke.

"Sam? I've got some bad news." He started before relaying the info he had heard. "So, are you interested?" Danny asked worriedly.

"Of course, Danny." Sam said softly. "So, are you gonna tell Tucker?"

""Naturally." Danny replied before hanging up. He dialed Tucker's number and he picked up after six rings.

"Hello?" Tucker answered.

"Hey, Tuck? Umm, I have to ask you something." Danny said before telling him everything. "So, you in?" Danny asked, hopeful.

"Of course, can't let you and Sam have all the fun." Tucker said in a mocking voice. Danny glared into the phone. He sighed.

"You are aware that we're coming to pick you and Sam up in an hour." Danny said menacingly. He heard Tucker gulp and smiled in satisfaction. "See ya in an hour, Tuck." Danny ended. He got up and ran upstairs to pack. He shut the door quickly and a white ring appeared around his waist. As the rings parted, his T-shirt and jeans turned into a black and white jumpsuit with a curved D with a P inside, his raven hair turned snowy white; his bright blue eyes turned a glowing green. He flew over to his closet and pulled out a large suitcase. Hoping he didn't set off any ghost alarms, he started phasing his stuff inside. He flew up to his ceiling to grab his model rockets. The door opened and Danny turned himself and his rockets invisible.

"Danny?" He heard Jazz ask. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned visible.

"You scared me, Jazz. I thought you were Mom, or Dad." Danny's echoed voice came from the ceiling. Jazz looked up and smiled at the Ghost Boy. He floated down to about her height, still holding the rockets.

"Is something wrong?" Danny asked worriedly.

"No, just seeing how far you got on your room, which is pretty far." She said, looking at his barren room. Danny phased his rockets into his bag. He tried to lift it with little success.

"Well, I guess Dad's gonna hafta lift this." Danny said with little enthusiasm. Jazz walked over to the bag.

"But you're stronger than Dad is." She tried to lift it. "Geez, what did you pack?"

"My room?" Danny answered sheepishly. Jazz rolled her eyes.

"Did you call Sam and Tucker?" She asked.

"Of course, I'm not dumb. They said they're coming." Danny responded as the white rings appeared around his waist again, only this time turning back to normal. "Well, I'm done, unless I can cram my bed inside the bag." He said jokingly. Jazz laughed a little.

"And how would you explain that?" Danny could only shrug with a meek smile as they left the empty room. He checked his watch and sighed.

"At least I finished in time." Danny muttered as he looked at the bare hallway and stairs. "Okay, either Mom and Dad are really fast, or they just really wanted to move." Jazz looked at her watch.

"Well, considering that its almost one-thirty, I guess they were rushing." Jazz said slowly noticing their parents at the foot of the stairs. Jack looked uncomfortable as he whispered to Maddie. Being a halfa does have its advantages; Danny could hear everything his parents said, so he listened.

"-Danny has been acting-"

"No, Jack not just-"

"But when you-"

"Just drop it, Jack."

"He's listening?" Maddie gave a slight nod, glancing towards Danny. Danny gulped and Jazz saw them.

"What were they whispering about?" Jazz whispered.

"Not quite sure, I heard my name though." Danny whispered back, nervous. "Umm, you haven't told them, have you?"

"Of course not, I'm not dumb either." Jazz huffed quietly. Jack started up the stairs.

"So, kids, all done packing?" He asked. Jazz and Danny nodded. "Good, I'll just get your bags then." Jack walked to Jazz's room first and pulled out three different colored bags. He walked into Danny's room and pulled out his black one, with little difficulty. Maddie left to pick up Sam and Tucker, so Jack set the bags on the couch with the others. He looked rather worried.

"Dad?" Danny asked as he came down the stairs. Jack looked up, surprised or startled, Danny really couldn't tell.

"Yes, uh, son?" Jack asked, clearly confused.

"Are you okay, I mean, okay, okay?" Danny asked, worriedly. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"You just look worried about something."

"I assure you, I'm fine." Jack hastily replied. The front door slammed and Sam and Tucker rushed into the living room. Jack walked out of the room.

"Danny??" They called; Sam's voice rang in Danny's ears. He turned around to face them.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just, puzzled." Danny replied slowly. His eyes focused on the air where his father had stood. He heard the phone ring and had to look around to see if it was in the living room.

"Danny! Telephone!" Maddie called from the kitchen. Danny walked into the kitchen and his mother handed him the phone.

"Hello?" Danny asked.

"Oh, hello, Daniel!" Vlad's voice came out of the receiver. Danny sighed.

"What do you want, Plasmious?" Danny spoke in a very controlled tone.

"Now, Daniel, I only wanted to talk."

"Then talk." Danny growled. He really hated conversing with this man.

"You are aware that you are coming to live at my mansion, correct?" Vlad asked slyly.

"Yeah, you wrecked my day with that one." Danny retorted dryly.

"Don't be like that, my dear boy, it just wouldn't do for your parents to hear you, now would it?"

"What do you mean by that? What are you planning?" Danny asked fiercely. Vlad laughed.

"That, little badger, is for me to know, and you to find out." Vlad said gently before he started rambling on and on. Danny quit listening to him and twirled the phone cord around his finger. He was lost in his imagination. Maddie stood in the doorway, unbeknownst to Danny, and listened to him and his conversation. Danny absentmindedly checked his watch. It was one-fifty-five; they had been on the phone for ten minutes. He cut Vlad off mid-rant.

"Hey, if you really want us there, then stop yapping, its five till." Danny said menacingly. Vlad sighed.

"I really dislike having to cut our conversations so short, oh well." He sighed again. Danny growled, and then took a deep breath.

"See ya, Fruitloop!" Danny said, mockingly happy.

"I am not a fruit loop!" Vlad managed to yell before Danny hung up. He turned around to see his mother looking really shocked.

"Um, hi, uh, how much did you hear?" Danny asked, biting his lip.

"Why did you call Vlad a fruit loop?" Maddie asked, avoiding the question.

"It's a joke between me and Vlad." Danny stuttered out automatically.

"Oh, well, its almost time to go, so make sure you got everything, sweety."

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**A/N There it is Chapter 1. Man, that didn't take too long! Hope you liked it. Please read and review!**


	2. The Arrival

**And here's chapter 2. The name should give enough info on what the chap is about…**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything but the plot… Darnit.**

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_** Chapter 2: Arrival**_

Vlad's jet landed in front of Fenton Works, which reminded Danny and his mother of the time when Vlad tricked them a few months ago. Weary, Danny stepped onto the plane and sat near the back. Sam, Tucker and Jazz followed suit. Danny's parents sat far enough away to not be noticed, but still close enough to listen.

"I think my parents are on to me." Danny muttered.

"Why, have they busted out Ecto-guns and said 'Freeze, Ghost Boy'?" Tucker, the ever funny and helpful friend, asked.

"That's just it, they haven't. No new weapons or inventions, I'm startin' to worry." Danny said.

"Maybe they have 'inventors block', or they're finally trying to act like normal parents." Jazz suggested. Sam, however, looked thoughtful.

"How long has this been going on?" She asked.

"Since the battle last week. I think they may have examined the ectoplasm." Danny stated.

"But wouldn't they need a sample of your human blood to confirm it?" Tucker questioned.

"Hey, that weapon did leave a nice big gash in my side, and Mom wouldn't let me go anywhere until she wrapped it. I was bleeding quite a bit…" Danny trailed off, thinking. What if they did test the blood? What if they did know? Why wasn't he informed? Does it make any sense? What would it mean?

"Hey, if they tested the blood, it's probably because you did have the same injury as 'Danny Phantom'. They probably tested my blood, too, ya know, since they did always think I was a ghost." Danny smiled at his sister's attempt to comfort him.

"Well, whether or not they do know, we really can't worry about it. All I wanna know is why we're going to Vlad's house. What could he be planning?" Danny mused.

"Well, knowing Ol' Fruit Loop, probably something to kill your dad-"

"Marry Mom-"

"Or get you to join him."

"Geez, he's getting easy to predict, but still, what if he's changing his approach? He wouldn't tell me what he was up to on the phone." Danny shrugged, hoping his parents didn't agree to anything dangerous. "I wonder if he's still tryin' the clone idea, last time he flunked on it." Jazz cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, we're in Wisconsin, not Colorado, so I doubt it." Danny looked out the window.

"Wow, this thing's fast. How long've we been up?"

"About half an hour." Sam said, looking at her watch. Danny whistled.

"Well, I guess it is faster than me."

"Your top speed the last time we checked was what, two-twelve?" Tucker informed. "But maybe we should do that course again, just to see how you've improved." Danny nodded,_ '__**it**__**would be helpful to know my own abilities' **_He thought.

"We are now nearing the Masters' Mansion. Please buckle up and have a nice day." The pilot said over the intercom. It sounded a lot like the ghost pilot from before, but Danny's ghost sense didn't go off, so he thought nothing of it.

The plane landed in Vlad's own personal airport, behind his football field. Danny smirked to see a large hole by a goal post. The group walked up to the mansion, Danny rather cautiously, and saw a little girl waiting by the door. She had long black hair pulled up into a ponytail, icy blue eyes, and was wearing red shorts and a blue hoodie. She appeared to be twelve years old. She looked nervous until she saw Danny.

"Danny!" She yelled as she jumped off the stairs to give the boy a big hug.

"Danielle, um, hi, can you, like, let go, I need to, breathe!" Danny choked out while Dani squeezed him. She made a pouty face. "Sorry, Dani."

"With an 'I'?" The girl asked.

"Of course, now, could you please lemme go!" Dani let go of him and Vlad walked out and onto the porch.

"Glad you could make it; I see you've already met my daughter, Danielle." He said coolly. Dani's eyes shown bright green, but only Vlad and Danny noticed, no one else seemed to pay attention. Dani hid behind Danny, being only about chest high to him, when Vlad spoke again. "Oh, where are my manners, come in, come in." Vlad ushered the whole group inside.

"Who is she? I don't remember Vlad having a daughter." Jazz whispered once they were inside. Danny put a finger to his lips, clearly showing that he would fill her in later. Jazz pouted, but otherwise remained silent.

"Danielle, would you please escort Daniel and his friends to their rooms?" Vlad asked softly.

"Yes, Dad." Dani responded, with a fake sweetness in her voice. Danny, Jazz, Sam and Tucker followed Dani upstairs to the guest bedrooms.

"The one that's on the end is Danny's, this one's Tucker's," She pointed to the one to the left, Tucker couldn't help but peer in. It was filled with technology.

"Heaven." He muttered. Dani looked at him weirdly.

"Okay, well, that one's Sam's," She pointed to the right. "And this one's Jazz's." She pointed to the door across the hall from Danny's. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, can I talk to you and Danny in my room? Now?" Jazz asked. Dani gulped and looked to Danny for an answer. He nodded.

"Well, I don't see why not…" She answered. Danny and Dani followed Jazz to her room. Books lined the walls on shelves, a computer sat in the back with sticky notes on the surrounding walls. Jazz sat on the bed.

"Okay, Danielle, right?" Jazz gestured to Dani.

"Umm, call me Dani, with an 'I'." she responded. She felt like she was in an interrogation room.

"Alright, Dani, who are you really?"

"Jazz, don't-" Danny started, but was cut of by Jazz's glare.

"Well, uh, I'm your cousin." Dani replied with a smile. Jazz didn't smile back. There was just something about that girl…

"You're holding back. Tell me the truth." Jazz demanded. Dani looked to Danny for help.

"Well, she's got the right to know, Dani. Jazz likes to know things." Danny said.

"Alright, would you believe me if I told you I was Danny's clone?" Dani asked nervously. Jazz looked shocked, then shook her head.

"That's impossible," Jazz stood up and walked towards a shelf, looking at the titles of the books. "It has to be." She muttered.

"Well, it has to be possible. I shouldn't exist, but I do." Dani responded, looking a little flustered. Oh how she hated the word 'clone'. Danny stood up.

"Well, if that's all, we should be going…" Danny suggested, not wanting to see what could happen next.

"Go ghost." Jazz said suddenly.

"What?" Both Danny and Dani asked surprised. They weren't expecting this.

"Go ghost, both of you. I want to see."

"Umm, I can't." Dani stated carefully.

"What do you mean by 'can't'?" Jazz questioned a smile on her face. "If you really are Danny's clone, then you should be able to go ghost."

"Hey, if she says she can't, then she can't. Leave her alone about it." Danny snapped. He glanced over at Dani, who was looking rather uncomfortable by all this. He knew why Dani couldn't go ghost, but he wasn't about to tell Jazz the reason. Danny motioned to Dani to talk outside. She nodded very slightly. "Where do you two think you're going?" Jazz questioned. Danny and Dani froze before running out the door as fast as they could.

Sam and Tucker had been listening at the door and were narrowly missed being run over by Danny and Dani. The two ran to the opposite end of the hall, almost toppling over the stair railing, skidding to a stop just in time. Vlad and Danny's parents walked out into the front hall where Danny and Dani leaned over the railing in hopes of catching a bit of conversation.

"Now, is that all you wanted to talk about?" Vlad's silky voice floated up. Danny noticed Jack looking a bit nervous. He took a big breath.

"Well, I wanted to know something concerning Danny." Vlad raised an eyebrow at this statement.

"What about young Daniel? Is something wrong?" Vlad asked, fake concern in his voice. Danny leaned a bit more over the railing, hoping he was in a safe place to not be noticed.

"We don't really know, but we wanted your opinion on this. The last time we were here, was Danny acting in any way strange?" Maddie asked softy. Sam, Tucker and Jazz walked up to the railing and Danny and Dani immediately put a finger to their lips before leaning over again, their hands cupping their ears.

"What do you mean by 'strange'?" Vlad asked, clearly wanting to know if Danny let it slip.

"You know, strange as in different from other boys his age." Jack shrugged. Vlad laughed softly.

"Well, he acts like Danielle, but I can't really say anything on the matter of different from other boys, since I don't know many children." Vlad sighed, Danny chuckled. Vlad's still thinking of the clones.

"Fruitloop." Danny muttered, a smirk on his face. He saw Vlad glance his way and knew he had heard him. The smirk spread into a wide grin. Vlad glared at him only slightly enough that Danny could see it. Dani shrunk back, also seeing the glare. Vlad sighed again.

"Would like for me to talk to him for you? Perhaps express your concern?" Vlad asked gently. Jack looked to Maddie for the answer.

"I'm not to sure about this, but as long as it helps Danny, I'm okay with it." Maddie replied. Jack and Maddie gave grateful smiles before turning around and going up another flight of stairs. Vlad walked over to the children's staircase.

"Having fun eavesdropping on adult conversations, Daniel? I swear your becoming more like me every day." Vlad said with a smirk on his face, Danny's eyes glowed a dangerous green. Vlad only laughed. Dani gripped the railing to avoid jumping down and punching Vlad in the face, the urge was very strong.

"I am nothing like you." Danny spat. He really wanted to punch Vlad out, but his parents would probably kill him if he tried. Oh well.

"Well, you lot have a busy day ahead of you, so, I would suggest going to bed, but that is, of course, your decision." Vlad waved before going up a different staircase.

"Huh, he does have a point there. It's getting pretty late, and I wanna get up early and play, I mean, make use of the tech in my room." Tucker informed, a nervous smile on his face. Sam looked at her watch.

"Well, other than the tech part, Tucker's right. We should all go to bed and get up early and find out what Vlad's up to. Danielle, I'll ask you a few questions tomorrow, so be prepared. 'Night." Sam waved before retreating to her room. Tucker went to his, and Jazz followed suit. Danny turned to Dani.

"You know they're right. A good night's sleep can help." Danny said in a comforting way. Dani smiled and nodded before walking into the nearest room. Danny sighed and walked into his room.

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**A/N Do his parents know? Guess you'll find out with me, Tucker's a weirdo, no offense Tuck, but still… Why's Vlad being so nice the group? That's all I wanna know… Read and review please!!!!**


	3. The Weapon

**Hi! The next chapter! Hurray! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, no wait, I own the weapon now, too!**

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_**Chapter 3: The Weapon**_

Danny's night was all but peaceful. He woke up twice during the night with a gut feeling that something was either wrong or something bad was going to happen.

When he woke up in the morning, Dani was at the edge of his bed, a worried expression on her face. He looked at the clock on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Is something wrong?" Danny yawned. Dani nodded slowly.

"Vlad made a weapon that's supposed to kill halfas. I heard him bragging about it in his room." Dani spoke quietly, so she couldn't be heard by anyone but Danny. She took a deep breath and changed the subject. "Your friends and Jazz are waiting for you." She said with a slight smile. Danny nooded and watched Dani leave the room, shutting the door behind her. He got out of bed and quickly got dressed. He walked out the door and met his friends downstairs in the front hall.

"Geez, Danny, even when no ghosts attack, you still sleep late." Tucker joked. Danny sighed.

"I just couldn't sleep, that's all." Danny shrugged.

"We still have to figure out what Vlad's planning." Sam stated, changing the subject. Danny nodded.

"Why would he want all of us here? I mean, what could he be planning that would need basically everyone I know to be in one place?" Danny asked.

"Well, maybe he wants to use our lives to get you join him. He has done that sort of thing before." Sam shrugged. Jazz looked at Dani evily.

"Why don't we just ask _her_." Jazz suggested, her voice menacing. Dani stepped behind Danny, who glared at Jazz. Maddie walked into the front hall just then.

"You kids hungry?" Everyone in the group nodded expect for Dani. "Oh, and Danielle, Vlad wants to see you." Dani gulped. She waved bye and turned around before running up the staircase Vlad went the night before. Maddie gestured the remaining children into the kitchen.

Once they were seated, Maddie placed a plate filled with toast in front of each of them with a smile.

"Eat up. Jack and I would like to see you in Vlad's lab in a few minutes." Maddie stated.

The group finished eating and went up Vlad's staircase and walked into the third door and the right. Maddie, Jack and Vlad were standing at the far wall leaning over a table. Jack turned around with a smile on his face.

"Come on over here, we've got something to show you kids!" Jack called enthusiastically. The group walked in a little further and Danny caught sight of what was on the table. A long but slim gun layed on it. It was blue with pink accents and a purple trigger. Vlad picked it up.

"My own invention. I call it the 'Apparition Anihalator'. It kills ghosts with a single well-aimed shot." Vlad boasted proudly. He "playfully" aimed it at Danny and it "accidentally" went off. Danny managed to dodge in time. He glared at Vlad.

"Oops, my bad." Vlad said, the sarcasm only noticeable to Danny. He got up and brushed his pants off. His parents laughed, but Danny could hear the tone was only half hearted. Did they know? Danny had a terrible urge to just blurt out that Vlad was a ghost, but he held his tongue. Vlad gave a fake apologetic smile before returning the weapon to the table.

"Hey Vladdy, where's Danielle? I wanna show this to her!" Jack said happily.

"She went out for a walk. She'll be back later." Vlad said simply. Danny clenched his teeth. He took a deep breath.

"Hey, mind if I go and find her?" Danny volunteered. He really wanted to talk to her.

"Can I go, too?" Jazz said.

"Alright, but be back before dark." Maddie said. Danny and Jazz left the room and down the stairs.

When they were out of the mansion, Danny spoke up.

"Why did you ask to come too? I coulda found her on my own!" Danny complained as he walked toward a patch of trees near the airport.

"Well, I wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing."

"I know Dani, she helped me escape from Vlad before! She's not going to hurt me, if that's what your afraid of."

"Without ghost powers?"

"Leave her alone, Jazz. She doesn't need a session with you." Danny said. He heard something blow up and ran for the wooded area.Jazz ran after him and stopped when she saw what was making the blasts. A girl with long white hair pulled back into a ponytail with glowing green eyes, her suit looked similar to Danny's, but had a midrift and a gray DP symbol. One glove was white while the other was black, the inversion of the sleeves.

"Dani!" Danny called, slightly fearful. Was that really Dani? "Dani what are you doing?" He demanded. White rings appeared around his waist as he turned into his ghost form. He flew up and grabbed Dani from behind. She screamed and struggled against Danny, but he held fast.

"Dani, it's okay. Just calm down." He whispered in her ear. She stopped struggling and Danny floated to the ground before letting go of her. Dani sighed.

"Sorry." She muttered. "Vlad just made me mad earlier. I really needed to take my anger out on something that wouldn't melt me." She shrugged. Jazz's eyes widened.

"Melt? Why would you melt?" Jazz asked, startling the two halfas.

"Well, I'm unstable. If I use my powers to much, I'll turn into ectoplasm." Dani explained softly. She shrugged again. She turned to the tree she had been beating up and sighed. It was only scorched black from the ecto-blasts. She cupped her hands at her side and they turned green. She fired the blast at the tree, but it really didn't do anything. She sighed again as a white ring appeared at her waist, turning her back into her human form. She twired her ponytail around her finger.

The trio walked towards the mansion when they heard an angry scream. They saw Maddie stomping out of the mansion. Dani gave a gentle smile.

"Makes you wish you were a ghost every now and then, doesn't it?" Dani smiled. Maddie smiled back.

"Sometimes, Danielle, only sometimes." She smiled again. Danny and Jazz took this as an exit while Dani and their mother talked. They walked into the building and sighed when they saw Vlad.

"Is Danielle okay?" Vlad asked, a fake worried tone in his voice. That was when Danny noticed that his father was also in the room, looking a little depressed.

"Yeah, she's fine. She just needed a walk." Danny said just loud enough for any human ears to hear him. Jack looked a little relieved. "Hey, Dad, is there something wrong?" Jack gestured to another room and gave Vlad a small sympathetic look, clearly stating that he wanted to be alone with his kids. Vlad nodded and walked towards the kitchen.

"Well, did you see your mother when you came in?" The Fenton siblings nodded. "Well, let's just say that Vlad said something she didn't like and wouldn't repeat for me." Jack sighed. Danny and Jazz could only guess what Vlad had said, but didn't say anything just then.

"You're worried about her, that's normal. She's cooled down and talking to Dani, and if I didn't better, I'd say they knew each other for their whole lives!" Jazz stated happily. She now believed Dani, having seen her in her ghost form, and wanted to apologize for being rude.

"We sould all go and talk to Mom, y'know and make sure Vlad hasn't said anything to stupid." Danny suggested. He knew Vlad had said something about leaving Jack and staying with him. God, Vlad's way to predictable. He, his father and sister walked out side and saw Maddie still talking Dani, showing her the ropes of ghost hunting, which Dani showed a little intrest in. She paid attention until a blue wisp came out of her mouth, signaling a ghost nearby. She looked and sighed in relief as Maddie looked at her, confusion on her face.

"Explain later," Dani said quickly before Maddie could ask. Then she turned to Danny. "Hey Danny!" She stood up and gave Danny a small hug, not like the one given the day before. Danny gave her a smaller hug back, still not quite all that confortable with having a clone of him, a girl clone at that, hug him every day. She gave a small smile and gestured towards the corner of the porch. They tiptoed over there.

"Is there something wrong?" Danny asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, I can't say that it's wrong, but your mom knows I'm half ghost." Dani shrugged. Danny had to cover his mouth from shouting out. He took a deep breath and glanced over at his mother.

"At least you aren't a puddle of goop. She's okay with it?"

"Yep, but I didn't tell her I was your clone. Woulda been really awkward."

"Expessially for me. She woulda wanted to know how you got your powers. Did she ask?"

"I told her I was in an accident, and that 'Dad' doesn't know, and that I would like it to stay that way." Dani smirked. Danny smiled back, but then he got serious.

"Why do you call Vlad 'Dad' again?"

"It's a bargain trade. While he's in earshot, or I'm talking to your parents, I have to say he's my dad. He promised he would keep me from melting as long as I did that."

"He keeping his word?"

"I'm not a puddle of goop, am I?" She smiled.

"Hey, you two! Come on!" Jazz called, a smile on her face. Confused, Danny and Dani walked over and over heard Maddie and Jack's conversation. Of course, Sam and Tucker helped make a circle with Jazz and the two sat next to them.

"I'm telling the truth, just don't tell Vlad." Maddie whispered, her face stern. Jack stuttered.

"But, how? That's technically imposible. There's no real proof to back that up!"

"She showed me her powers." Maddie said simply. Danny shot Dani a look that said quite clearly: 'What were you thinking?' Dani just shrugged and mouthed, 'She asked'. Danny sighed.

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**A/N: Here's chap three… man, not much action, is there? Why did Dani** **tell Maddie? What effect will it have on the story? Or Danny?I think he deserves to know...right? Please read and tell me what you think!**

**Hey, anyone seen Spiderman 3 yet? I did! I did!**


	4. Last Day Of My Life

**Chap four… wait a minute, does that say what I think it says? Whose? Starts crying**

**By the way, I remember promising someone two weeks; I apologize for being unable to keep it… I had writer's block and my mother wouldn't let me on. I am sooooooo sorry!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't anything but the weapon and the plot. **

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**Chapter 4: Last Day of My Life**

Vlad called for the group a little later, near noon. Maddie refused to speak to him, nor did she look in his direction. Danny began to think that she could hold a grudge very firmly against him. He gave a slight chuckle. No 'He saved Danny's life' forgiveness here, and both Danny and Vlad knew it. Vlad sighed softly. He looked at Danny and Dani.

"I wish to speak with Danielle and Daniel for a moment." He said just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Maddie gave him a deadly glare as the two halfas followed him into the other room.

"What do you want now, my mom's forgiveness?" Danny commented, smirking slightly. Dani's face mirrored his. Vlad didn't seem to be amused by this.

"No, you do remember my offer, correct?" Vlad asked, Danny's smile turned into a frown.

"I remember it, and the answer's still 'no'." Danny answered dryly. Did Vlad really think he would ever say yes?

"I thought as much, which is why I needed to talk to you, both of you." Vlad responded. Danny raised an eyebrow and Dani spoke.

"What do I have to do with this?" She asked, slightly scared. Vlad chuckled.

"Everything." He answered evilly. Danny growled with a green eyed glare. He stepped protectively in front of Dani.

"Leave her alone." He growled, his emerald eyes blazing.

"Oh, I won't hurt her, I promise. You have my word." Vlad smiled. Dani started to back out of the room, being the closest to the door. "Dear Danielle, going so soon?"

She said nothing as she ran out of room.

"Dani!" Danny cried, Vlad grabbed him from behind before he could run after her. Vlad slammed him into a wall.

"You may want to reconsider your answer, Daniel. No one is coming to your rescue this time, this room is soundproof." Vlad whispered in Danny's ear. A smile crossed his face.

"So whaddaya gonna do, kill me?" Danny managed to breathe out, the force of Vlad's arms crushing him against the wall.

"No, my dear boy, I simply want you to join me, but I will use force if necessary." Vlad pushed Danny into the wall again before letting him go. He gave a triumphant smile as he left the room, leaving Danny kneeling on the floor. Danny carefully got to his feet. His chest burned from being unable to breathe.

"Great going, Fenton. You let him take you by surprise." He groaned softly to himself as he left the room.

He walked over to his friends, who were sitting on the couch. Sam was calming Dani down while Dani cried into her shoulder. Danny put his hand on Dani's shoulder and she looked up. He gave a gentle smile and Dani couldn't help but smile back. She wiped her blue eyes and Danny sat down next to her. He noticed Tucker tapping away at his PDA.

"What's going on?" Danny asked them after checking to see if his parents were around. They weren't.

"Just checking up on something." Tucker said, his aqua eyes not leaving the screen.

"When Vlad walked out of that room without you, we were a bit worried, so Tucker wanted to check up on the chemicals we think Vlad used to make his weapon." Sam explained.

"Any luck?" Danny asked. Dani shook her head and lowered her eyes.

"We're not sure what he put in it, but we have some ideas, so Tucker's looking it up." Dani stated softly. Danny realized that he didn't really want to know what was in it, but he just had to ask.

"So what do you think is in it?"

"When we figure it out, we'll tell you." Dani promised. Danny looked behind her back to see if she had crossed her fingers, she hadn't. Danny nodded slightly, a stern look on his face. He of all people knew Vlad was a powerful force. How many times had he been in a fight with the Fruitloop and barely make it out alive and intact?

"Don't worry, Danny. If anyone can figure it out, it'll be Tucker." Sam said assuringly. Tucker then chose that moment to set his technology down, a depressed look on his face.

"Are you okay?" Danny asked, noticing Tucker's expression. The techno-geek sighed.

"It has to upload this softw125are and it'll take twenty-four hours to finish." He said sadly.

"So we have to wait till tomorrow?" Danny shrugged. "We do have a lot of time on our hands now. Hey, where's Jazz?" Danny asked finally noticing his sister was absent from the group.

"Said she wanted to be alone, I guess she's still getting used to the fact we're all at Vlad's." Sam smirked.

"So where is she?"

"Her room." Dani answered. Danny nodded gently, a small smile on his face.

"I think I'll go up and make sure she's okay." Danny responded, getting up.

He walked over and up their staircase and knocked on Jazz's door.

"Who is it?" Jazz's voice floated through the door.

"Danny." He answered.

"Come in." Came a sigh. Danny opened the door and walked in. Jazz was sitting cross-legged on

her bed with her laptop in her lap. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, just wanted to make sure you were okay." Danny responded with a smile as he walked over to the desk and sat down in the desk chair. He leaned back against the back of the chair, relaxed. Jazz turned her head to face her brother. She smirked.

"Wow, you look bored." She mocked.

"No ghost problems, no fun." Danny sighed. Then he leaned forward in the chair, a glint in his eyes.

"Hey, I know that look, don't even think about it." Jazz warned, Danny faked an innocent look.

"Think about what?" Danny asked with a semi-sweet tone.

"What you're thinking about." Jazz said simply, setting her laptop aside and crossing her arms. Danny just smirked.

"Think I'll fly around for a bit. Blast a few things." Danny joked.

"Nothing rare, okay?" Jazz asked. Danny's smile and the glint in his eye faded as he nodded.

A white ring formed around Danny as he went ghost. He flew out of Jazz's room and into his own. He looked at all the astronautical things hanging from the ceiling, the space ship poster on the walls, and the glow-in-the-dark stars and moons stickers on his ceiling. He smiled as he turned intangible and dived down.

He flew into Vlad's secret underground lab and saw the weapon sitting on a table in the far corner by the Plasmious Portal, Vlad's own personal portal into the Ghost Zone. Danny's eyes locked onto the weapon as he felt the hair on the back of neck rise and his throat felt dry. He then shook his head to break the trance. He stepped onto the floor and walked over to the weapon.

"Wonder how you break it…" Danny muttered to himself.

"You can't, Daniel." Danny jumped at Vlad's voice. Vlad stepped out of the shadows. "What's wrong, Daniel? You look like you've seen a _ghost_." Vlad chuckled evilly, putting extra emphasis on the last word. Danny crossed his arms.

Neither halfa saw Jack and Maddie peek in the doorway.

"Well, that would be appropriate, Plasmious. Anyway, what's your plan this time? To get everyone I know to hate me or somethin' like that?"

"No. I simply want you to join me. That is all I want." Vlad said, his voice silky. Danny snorted.

"Then what's with the weapon?"

"Oh, that? That is just a little trinket I made. Been on my mind for... awhile now."

"What does it really do?" Danny dared to ask as Vlad walked over to the table and picked up the weapon.

"Exactly what I said it would do. Kill ghosts." Vlad said as he pulled out a cloth and polished the handle of the weapon.

"There are three switches, Plasmious. What are they for?"

"Oh, you _can _count. Congratulations, Daniel."

"Just answer the question."

Well, if you must know," He pointed the gun at Danny. "It kills both humans and ghosts. The last switch kills half-ghosts. Or at least it should. I haven't tested it. Yet."

"You haven't?"

"Of course not, Daniel. The only reliable subjects to test it on are you and me, only because dear Danielle would die from any blast, really."

"Hey, it's not her fault!"

"I know, I didn't expect any different. She is your clone after all." Danny's parents held back a gasp by covering their mouths.

"Your fault." Danny said, smirking. Vlad scowled before taking a deep breath.

"Your DNA."

"Your tech."

"You destroyed it." Danny sighed.

"It needed to be. Wait, does that mean you didn't get your lab fixed?" Danny asked, his eyes shining.

"The blueprints were burned." Vlad frowned.

"And how were they burned?" Danny asked mockingly.

"The lab set fire." Danny laughed. He wanted to do a little victory dance, but he held it in.

"So whaddaya gonna do now? Can't make the perfect clone without the tech." Danny mocked. Against the gray background of Vlad's lab, Danny's eye caught a black shape on the corner wall that hides the stairs. Danny realized that Vlad was to preoccupied with the conversation to notice.

"I have the money and power to create another lab, Daniel. Do not underestimate me."

"So you're gonna overshadow some scientist people and get everyone to build another lab?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. Vlad chuckled evilly.

"You make it sound so bad." He mocked.

"Well duh, that's 'cause it is." Danny turned his head in disgust so that he looked at the shape without suspicion. As he studied the shape, he recognized it as his father's hand. Danny was only vaguely aware of Vlad speaking.

Dani crept down the stairs silently towards Jack and Maddie. She tapped Maddie on the shoulder gently, but it still made her jump. Light violet eyes met bright blue and Maddie found herself wondering how she never realized the shade. They matched her son's perfectly, but that didn't mean he _was_ the ghost boy, did it? After hearing Vlad and Danny Phantom's conversation she wasn't so sure. Dani placed her pointer finger to her lips, the same way Danny did, to signify silence before pointing up. Maddie looked at her husband, who nodded before following Dani up the stairs.

"What were you doing down there?" Dani asked, exasperated.

"Are you really Danny Phantom's clone?" Maddie asked, avoiding the question. Dani looked terrified for a moment that Maddie barley saw it before Dani looked at the floor. Maddie placed her hands on Dani's shoulders gently. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else if you don't want me to."

"Yeah" She spoke very soft. "I'm his clone."

Danny saw his father's hand move and began to wonder what was wrong when a pink beam of energy zoomed past him, barley missing his nose. Danny looked at Vlad in surprise. Vlad's fist was smoking slightly.

"Are you even listening to me!?" Vlad shouted angrily. He had set the weapon back down onto the table and Danny smirked at Vlad's intolerance of being ignored.

"Of course I was listening. Not." Danny said the last word softly and in more of a serious tone then the mocking one the rest of the sentence had been in. Vlad heard it and shot Danny in the chest with another pink ecto-blast.

Danny was thrown back and hit the wall hard, leaving a dent in it. His body slid onto a sitting position on top of a filing cabinet. Danny barley managed to phase through the cabinet in time to dodge a barrage of ecto-blasts. Danny knew even before he resurfaced to blast Vlad that he had gone ghost. What Danny hadn't expected was that Vlad had already duplicated so that Danny had to face four Vlads at once.

"Ya know, Plasmious, I don't think this is how to get people to join you." Danny said as he shot one of the Vlads in the back. "Never really worked for me."

The bangs and explosions were not missed by the rest of the occupants. Sam, Tucker and Jazz all ran downstairs to the sitting area where Dani and Maddie were. The floor vibrated and trembled as the fight went on below. The group of five ran downstairs and met with Jack, who was hiding from the halfa's feud. Danny was thrown against the wall again. The wall was dented up badly and Danny hadn't landed a single punch on Vlad.

"At least my parents aren't watching…" Danny muttered to himself. Oh, if only he knew. Danny charged up a bright green ecto blast and fired it another Vlad. It took him by surprise and the remaining Vlad duplicates vanished. "Oh yeah!" Danny cheered. Vlad turned around and angrily blasted Danny into the wall again. **(Sheesh, let the poor wall be for cryin' out loud!) **

Out of the corner of his eye, Danny saw his family and friends peering around the corner. Vlad walked towards Danny and knelt down, the fear in the ghost boy's eyes made even his father worry.

"You put up a good fight, Daniel. But the fun ends now. All you have to do _is_ join me, after all."

Danny smirked, regaining his bearings.

"Never." He responded as he took this momentary distraction to blast Vlad away. He scowled darkly. Vlad was upon Danny before the latter could even blink. Vlad's hand enclosed tightly around Danny's throat. Danny did his best to pry Vlad's grip, but Plasmious was just too strong. Vlad slammed Danny against the wall **(Again, stop it!) **until Danny's arms fell limply to his sides, his eyes closed and his head bowed. Vlad dropped Danny, who fell into a limp-like sitting position and was trying to catch unnecessary breath with his hand clutched tenderly around his throat.

"Had enough, boy?" Danny looked at Vlad with menacing emerald eyes. Vlad smirked. "I thought not. You never seem to give up, do you, Daniel?" Vlad grabbed Danny by the front of his jumpsuit-top. Danny struggled against the vampire ghost, but to no avail. An evil smile crossed Vlad's face and Danny begged silently for help. Sam, Jazz, Dani and Tucker answered that prayer by running out of the cover by the adults.

"Hey, Fruitloop!" The four shouted. Vlad threw Danny across the room and Dani went ghost. Danny panicked at the thought of Vlad fighting his teammates. He jumped to his feet as Sam and Tucker pulled out ecto-guns and Jazz activated the Fenton Peeler. Jack pulled out two Fenton Bazookas and handed one to his wife.

"Jack, where did these come from?" Jack looked uncomfortable before answering:

"I'd, uh, rather not say." Maddie sighed and shook her head before charging up the weapon and charging into the battle. There was no way she was gonna let children fight alone, even if one was a half-ghost clone. Jack followed closely behind her serving as backup protection.

Danny flew back into the battle and blasted Vlad in the back to make him vulnerable to the triple blast his friends and sister dished out. Vlad threw a wild blast in every direction, a couple hitting Jack and one hitting Maddie. The others managed to dodge in time. Danny, who was heading towards Vlad after dodging his array of blasts, changed direction and helped his parents up.

"We ought to fight _with_ you instead of against you from now on." Jack breathed as he brushed off the dust from his pants. Danny smiled before his face turned serious.

"Let's hope that there is a chance to do that." Danny answered. He saw a large array of ecto-blasts quickly coming and put up a large shield to absorb them. He then went to Dani to help.

She was standing in a green puddle that she was slowly sinking into. Danny was as afraid as she was at this point. He put a shield up around her as more blasts sought them out. Danny flinched, but the shield remained up until Dani had reformed and agreed to get out of the battle.

Danny dropped the shield and charged at Vlad with an ecto-blast in hand. He hit Vlad square in the face, leaving a dark scorch mark that stretched from cheek to cheek and crossed the bridge of his nose. Angered, Vlad took Danny by surprise and grabbed his throat again. He slammed Danny down on the ground and created a dome-shield around them. He didn't want _any_ interruptions during this punishment. He let go of Danny's throat and stood up, murder in his eyes. Danny immediately tried to phase under the floor, but Vlad grabbed him again, making intangibility useless. Vlad beat Danny into the floor until they were in a large crater and Danny was just barely conscious. Vlad stood up as the white ring formed around Danny's waist. Danny concentrated what was left of his energy on making the ring disappear.

The rest of the group fired upon the dome-shield, but they didn't even leave a scorch mark. Vlad took no notice to the attempt to rescue the ghost boy. Ectoplasm seeped from Danny's mouth. Maddie doubled her attack and the dome broke, and Maddie took her shot and hit Vlad, breaking his concentration. Vlad hit the _other_ wall and Maddie slid into the crater and gently picked up Danny before she jumped out. She propped Danny up against the opposite wall where he could rest for a moment. He tiredly wiped the ectoplasm from his mouth and ran his hand through his messy hair.

"Thanks." Danny breathed. He looked at his mother and smiled. Maddie returned the smile and nodded before returning to the fight. Sam ran over to Danny and knelt down.

"Are you okay?" She asked, the worry in her violet eyes surprised him. He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just need a five-second breather." Sam smiled, but the worry did not vanish from her eyes. Danny used a nearby table to stand and teetered. Sam caught him and held him while he swayed.

"You're gonna need more than a breather. You need to rest!" Danny blushed slightly and quickly broke the sudden contact and leaned against the wall.

"I can't, Sam. I gotta help. If anything bad happens, it'll be _my_ fault."

"No, it won't. You're hurt. It's amazing you haven't reverted back to normal." Danny closed his eyes and sighed.

"It doesn't matter. I need to help. Someone could get hurt."

"But..."

"No buts, I'll be fine." Sam nodded reluctantly. "They need your help, too, y'know. I'll follow you." Sam ran back as Tucker was blasted. How had Danny not noticed the battle that raged around them?

Everyone was burned and bleeding, but not enough to raise concern. They were only cuts, and most were bruised badly. Vlad was holding back, especially when it came to Maddie. Danny knew why, if Vlad really hurt them, he would lose all chance of getting Danny on his side, not like there had ever _been_ any chance of that. And about Maddie... Lets just say he has a really soft spot about her. Danny flew under the floor and resurfaced behind Vlad and blasted him in the back.

"That's it." Danny whispered as Vlad fell down into a kneeling position. "Just a bit more." But Vlad had one more plan up his sleeve. He phased below the ground and Maddie saw a broad grin on the halfa's face.

Vlad resurfaced by the table with the Apparition Annihilator on it. His smile was evil as he picked it up. Sam and Tucker started their advance toward him. Vlad flipped the switch closest to the barrel of the gun and pointed it towards them. Jack put his hand out to stop the advancement and they saw the worry and fear that crossed his face.

Vlad charged the gun and his smile, which they thought couldn't possibly get any worse, broadened as his aim was upon Jack solely. Vlad pulled the trigger. In a moment of not thinking, Danny flew his fastest in front of his family. The shot hit him squarely in his chest.

Danny was thrown back and hit the wall, hard. A large crater was indented into the wall from the force of the impact. Danny vision started to fade as he looked upon his family and his friends. His team mates. His eyes rolled over everyone, but Vlad, until they came to rest on Sam, who was in the middle of them all. The darkness seeped into the corners until all he could see was Sam, her violet eyes filed with fear. His thoughts finally form recognizable words, and Danny, though he was unable to show it, was surprised at them. They were all of her. For Sam. One that he caught was '_I love you, Sam.'_

Danny's body reverted to human form, making his parents gasp and tears form in their eyes, before falling to the floor, his once bright blue eyes open and gazing in their direction, where his head was tilted. A small trickle of red blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Jazz screamed and ran to her little brother's body and knelt by him. She gently picked him up by his torso and cradled his head in her elbow. His eyes were a pale, dull light blue. With tears leaking uncontrolled from her teal eyes, she brought her hand up and closed his with trembling fingertips forevermore.

Jazz broke down and buried her face into Danny's chest. She sobbed heavily. Behind her, Sam was crying into Tucker's shoulder while Maddie sobbed into Jack's chest and Dani, who was watching from the safety of the stairs, cried into her knees.

Vlad looked at his weapon, sensing that something was amiss. The first switch was the only one on. That switch was labeled _'human'_. Well, this _may_ work to his advantage.

Meanwhile in the ghost zone, two cloaked figures, one feminine the other bulky floated into view. The bulky one picked up a black and white figure from a floating rock...

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**Danny... Not you... Darn you, Vlad!**

**Well, don't kill Vlad just yet, I need him for later. Much later. Until then, torture him at your own hand. Show no mercy! **

**I would just like to add that I didn't get many reviews on my other chapters, so I want at least four for this one, and don't expect other people to review for you. Suggestions are requested and ideas may be used, with changes to better fit the story, with permission of course. **

**Now to write chapter 5, man. Is this ever going to be easy?**

**Remember to review, folks!**


	5. I'm Dead, Wait, What?

_**Chapter 5: I'm dead. Wait, what**_**?**

"Do you think he's really alright?" said a female voice. It sounded familiar. And worried.

"He'd better be. But, I don't think Clockwork would lie." another familiar voice, this time male.

"But he _had just-_"

"Shush, he's waking up." Danny recognized those voices; they belonged to Ember McLain and Skulker, two of his enemies. Under him, the warm soft couch felt comforting and safe. His head was on a pillow and he felt a blanket under him. Cautiously, he opened one eye so that he peered through his eyelashes. Ember's back was to him, but that didn't make him feel any better. Skulker's metal suit shined a bright white in the light; he could see Skulker as perfectly as he knew Skulker could see him. That was bad.

"Don't tell me what to do, Skulk. I may do as I please." What had given Danny away? It couldn't have been change in breathing, or that his heart beat had sped up, since he didn't have either to worry about.

That's when it hit him.

He was dead. Full ghost. No human side. No need to eat. Or breathe.

"Ember! Listen to me! _He-is-awake!_" Danny had never heard that tone come from any ghost before. Apparently, Ember hadn't heard that tone before either, at least not from Skulker. She had been immediately silenced. She looked over at Danny, and no matter how many times she looked at his seemingly sleeping body, she couldn't figure out how Skulker knew whether or not he was sleeping. She placed her hand on the opposite side of his face. Unnoticed, Danny closed his eye as Ember tilted his head to get a better look. She sat down on the bed by his elbow and slid her hand into his hair and let it rest there.

"How would you know?"

"His fear." Danny could only imagine how Ember would look being confused. Skulker sighed. "He's afraid. If you remember, you were too when you first arrived." Ember had been afraid? Wow. That's something new.

"That's beside the point. How can you tell what he's feeling? Last I checked you weren't psychic."

"Maybe not, but I am a hunter. How do you think human assassins find and kill unsuspecting prey?" Danny opened the other eye to see through his eyelashes.

"Then it's probably you scaring him. Maybe you could leave so he could get up?" Ember used her free arm and gestured to where Danny figured the door was. Skulker sighed.

"Fine, I'll see you later." Danny heard a door open and close.

"Alright, if you're really awake, then get up. No use just lying there." Ember said, taking her hand out of his hair. Danny fully opened his glowing green eyes. He sat up with his hands in his lap. "Good, now that you're up, we can talk." Ember said, crossing her arms. Danny gulped softly.

"Talk?" He asked, the fear he felt wavering his voice. Ember smiled gently.

"Yeah, I'm not here to try to, you know, destroy you, or anything." She laid her hand on his shoulder and Danny was reminded of Jazz, which made him feel worse. Ember saw his deepening depression. "You just gotta trust me, okay dipstick?"

"I guess. But couldja call me 'Danny' instead of 'dipstick'? That name gets old real quick." Danny put up a fake smile. Ember smiled and ruffled his hair. "Hey!"

"Well, whenever you want to talk, I'm basically next door. All you would need to do is knock." Ember stood up and walked towards the door.

"Thanks, Ember." Ember smiled and walked out the door, leaving Danny sitting on the bed. Once out of the lair, Ember looked back on the door.

The door was covered in drawings and pictures that Ember just knew Danny had once done himself and a large wooden sign that read, 'Danny's Room".

Ember smiled again as she floated toward her door, which she dragged nearer to Danny's. She opened the door and went inside.

Right now, all that Danny wanted to really do was go back to sleep, but finding out where he was happened to be a bigger concern. He stood up, his legs stiff and feeling more tired and sore now than he had felt ever while he had a human side. His chest ached. As soon as he realized this, he started to wonder.

Are his parents okay? Did everyone make it out? Did Vlad hurt any of them? What happened after he...died?

He walked into a hallway that branched out into more hallways and several doors on either side in all of them. Deciding that getting lost was not a good thing, he went into the room closest to the entrance.

On a desk inside, a stack of poster-board lay with some pencils. He picked one up and drew what he saw on the paper, making an unfinished map. He drew the living room with what he saw in it. He drew the hallway and what he saw before coming into the room, and then he drew the room. He picked up the mini-map and left to go to the next room. It was a bathroom. Easy enough to draw. The room on the other side was a bedroom. What Danny'll need with all these rooms was beyond him. He continued down the hall drawing the rooms before coming back and going down another hallway.

The last room was on a hallway that led back to the living area. The room itself was more comfortable, more familiar to him. Then he saw a picture on the nightstand.

It was of him and his family and friends, a few days ago. He laid his paper and pencil on the bed as walked over to it. He picked it up and sat on the bed. He was suddenly very glad that Ember wasn't there to see him. Glad that there was no one to see him. The distraction drawing had given him had melted away as he looked at it. He buried his face into the pillow as the depression washed over him, needing to be let out in plain sight.

When he'd cried himself out, he quickly drew the room—finishing the map—and curled up on the bed, hugging the picture to his chest.

The paper and pencil lay abandoned on the floor as Danny fell asleep.

Danny woke with a start. He didn't remember pulling the blankets up over him, or lighting a candle. In fact, he didn't remember there _being_ a candle in this room. He knew that there was one in the one next to this one, but he didn't know what scent it had. He still had the photo in his arms.

"I was starting to think you'd gone into a coma." Ember's voice called out from the doorway. He looked up at her, surprised. She was smirking. Danny frowned and curled up around his photo, closing his eyes and burying his face in the pillow. Ember sighed. He walked over and gave the blanket a good tug, pulling off of him till he grabbed it, dropping his picture on the bed.

"You're worse than Jazz..." He muttered. His heart stung horribly as he pulled on the blanket, hoping it wouldn't tear.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ember said as she pulled it from his grasp. He really needed a teddy bear. He _wanted_ a teddy bear. He had one at _home_, so why couldn't he have one _here_? He didn't see one in any of the rooms, though he hadn't looked in any closets. His heart ached as he thought about it. He missed his home. He missed his mother, his father, his sister. Tucker, even. And he missed Sam. He _really _missed her. He wanted to see them again. This gave him an idea.

"When can I leave this place?" He asked as he got up.

"A year," she answered as she put the blanket back on the bed.

"A YEAR!?" Danny shouted it loud enough that the whole Ghost Zone could probably hear him. Bet the ones passing by his door paused to see if there was anymore shouting.

"We're asking Walker if you can _not_ have to go to school, since you already know how to be a ghost an' all," she continued as if Danny hadn't spoken, not noticing the look on Danny's face.

"_School?_ They have a _school_ for _ghosts?_" Danny couldn't believe it. He'd better not have to go to school. He'd flunk out so fast, Walker's head'll spin. No, _Lancer's_ head'll spin. He could already hear it....

"Relax, the only thing you'd have to go for are maybe a few language classes. That would be all."

Yep, he was gonna flunk. Danny groaned and collapsed back onto his bed, bouncing a little.

"Don't worry; I had Skulker talk to him. I could teach you everything you need to know."

"That's a relief," Danny muttered sarcastically as Ember sat down on the bed. That was when he noticed what she was wearing. It was a black t-shirt and a black pair of jeans. She wore knee-high heeled boots over the legs, showing how small her feet were. She looked like she was only fifteen or sixteen.

"Oh, come on Flare, it's not that bad." It was obvious her mind was far away, back to when she was alive; her eyes had a slightly glazed look to them.

"Flare?" Danny leaned closer, curious. His green eyes searched his new friend's for answers. She suddenly remembered where she was. She looked away a moment before looking into Danny's eyes.

"My little brother," She muttered softly, the sadness not hidden well. Danny's eyes stared her down for more. "I think he's still alive somewhere. I haven't been to see him. It's been, like what, twenty years? I dunno, but I don't really think he'd like to see me now. Doubt he'd recognize me after all that time." Danny didn't press her for more now. Not now that he knew what it felt like to lose.

"Hey, if we went to Clockwork, would he show us your brother? Or my family?" at that Ember looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know... He might. For you, at least." Danny raised an eyebrow. Ember only smiled, her purple lipstick curving with her lips.

They left Danny's lair with Ember leading the way, holding Danny's wrist, to see Clockwork. Danny wondered what Clockwork would show them, hoping it was good news.

**Dang... Never knew that. Makes ya see the girl in a whole new way.**

**Now, **_**does**_** Danny have to go to school? Depends on what you guys say in your reviews!**

**Reviews make me happy, like overkills on my Final Fantasy X game! If I get six reviews or more, maybe I'll get Clockwork to show Danny what it is that he wants most. Or maybe not. Who knows? Remember, things are not always what they seem. **


	6. Clockwork's Lair

**Thanks for the reviews! This chapter was a real pain to write, hence why it took so long to post!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Danny Phantom.**

_**Chapter 6: Clockworks' Lair **_

Danny followed—or maybe was towed by, whichever you prefer—Ember to the Time Master's lair as memories of his human life intruded unwanted into the forefront of his mind. The pain of his curiosity when he'd gone in to the broken Fenton portal, the first time he'd been here, he'd been scared by Walker, the second time arrested by Walker after going to get his mother's anniversary present. Then he'd gotten captured by Skulker—again—with Valerie in tow. Maybe the fourth time was when the Fright Knight incident happened. Then it was when he'd gone to the future and found out about his horrible future. One that had no chance of happening now. Another time was when he had to destroy Johnny 13's bike to keep him in the Ghost Zone. Then he'd gone to rescue Sam, change the past and learn a lesson, save his friends—and Vlad, sadly—from a deadly case of ecto-acne, find his sister and end up in one of Vlad's totally stupid games that was supposed to end in his death. There weren't any nice or happy memories of his time here. All of them were nightmares.

Danny wasn't sure that Clockwork would show them what they wanted to see. He wanted his family and friends to be alright. He wanted them to be at their homes and safe. He wanted to see them happy, since he knew that that was what would make him feel better that he died, because in his death, maybe Vlad stopped seeing them as a family that he needed to target to get what he wanted. His mother would be grieving, maybe, and maybe Vlad would back off, or maybe Vlad would be in jail for first degree manslaughter, lose his companies, lose his human power, and maybe access to his ghost powers, too. With the world's greatest ghost hunters, and a few witnesses, there was more than enough evidence to convict Vlad, or at least keep him away with blackmail. Not to mention, there would be no chance for a half-ghost son, and he doubted that Vlad had any of his DNA to create another Danny clone. Danny could almost smile at that thought. Vlad had put himself between a really big rock and a hard place. Then an evil thought that was only evil because it expelled all the nice images came into his mind. Did he leave behind a body, like other people that died? Would Vlad desecrate the dead? _Could_ he? Vlad was the bad guy, no matter what he said. Danny couldn't imagine himself doing even less than half of what Vlad's tried to do. Ember noticed his faraway look. She sighed at some memory.

"We're almost there. Cheer up; he usually knows how to handle the depression. It fades away after a little while," She said, smiling at him, trying and failing at helping the boy feel better. Danny looked at her, but he turned his head away to memorize the area and the way back to his door.

Clockworks' lair was not very far from Danny's. They flew in through the large empty doorway that showed the never ending stairs the ascended to Clockworks' lookout. They flew over them rather than walking up them. Geez, ghosts are _so_ lazy. They stepped down on the marble with their boots clicking on the stone. The mechanics of the resident ghost's belongings towered over their heads. The large circle-shaped portal that held whatever point in time that the owner wanted merely flipped through pictures of the past lazily as Danny approached it. Ember looked around at the empty space.

"Where is he?" Danny looked around; Ember was tapping her boot on the floor in impatience. The Time Master was nowhere in sight.

"Well, maybe he had to do something important?" Danny's suggestion was more a plea for Ember to calm down. Hopefully that meant that everyone was okay, or he'd be here waiting for them to come. She glared at him and walked over to a lever that looked fairly safe. Which in the Ghost Zone meant quite clearly 'Do Not Touch'. Danny sighed. He walked over to the portal and looked at the images. He couldn't place where or when the images were, but they weren't in his time period.

A loud bang resounded, making Danny jump into the air. He turned around and saw a table and an old, battered thermos that he recognized at once laying on the ground. He sighed and walked over to the table and righted it before placing the thermos on the table. He coulda sworn that he heard a growl coming from it, but disregarded it. Ember paced back and forth across the floor.

"He's _late." _Ember grumbled. "He's _never_ late!"

"I _am_ never late," a soft voice came from a doorway by Danny. "I am always right on time." The purple-cloaked ghostly young man floated out of the doorway and Danny took a step back, allowing the Time Master to pass by. Clockwork's appearance changed to an old man before the wrinkles around his mouth twisted into a smile.

"You would like to see your family again, am I correct?" He turned to go to the time portal and show them what was going on in the human realm, but Clockwork's face went blank for a moment and lost his smile before he turned to a rack that stood beside the thermos table. He grabbed two black cloaks and handed one to Danny. The other he gave to Ember. "Put these on, you must not be recognized."

"Recognized?" Danny asked as he put his arms in the sleeves. He saw Ember zip up the front of hers with a confused look on her face. She didn't understand either. He zipped up his cloak before looking up at Clockwork with the question in his eyes. The Time Master pulled Danny's hood over his head, blocking anyone from viewing his face. Ember hastily pulled her own hood up as an engine revved outside of the lair. Danny went to Ember and stood off to the side as Clockwork took his place at the time portal. The sound of hurried footsteps filled the room. Danny recognized the heavy footfalls that Sam's combat boots gave her. He heard his mother's fighting boots clicking on the marble, a light tapping from his sister's slip-ons with sneaker sounds that could only have been Dani's. Sam reached the room first, out of breath with tear-stained cheeks and her eyeliner running down her face.

Oh, how his heart ached.

"Clockwork, please tell me that Danny's here somewhere!" She sobbed as his family came running with make-up running on his mother's and sister's faces and Dani's eye's still finding moisture to expel. Clockwork floated forward, with Maddie taking a precautionary step backward, toward the grieving family. A sad look crossed face as he breathed out.

"I am afraid not. He did not come here. I am truly sorry for your loss." Danny's mouth fell open, he couldn't believe it. Clockwork was _lying. To their faces._ Then he understood the need for animosity. If his family was hurting because if his death, they would really be aching knowing that he still existed, but was out of reach. They didn't need nightmares about him turning evil or something from their biased findings about ghosts, either. Not all ghosts are evil; he knew a few, Ember and the Dairy King included on that list. His friends only knew him, and they knew about that one horrible future. Sam and Tucker both knew that Danny had the ability to be evil. Whether or not he chose to act on it now that he wasn't supposed to have a conscience was something they didn't know. It was a variable to them. They also didn't know about the 'prison sentence'. Would they be able to come to terms with the fact that he's stuck here for a whole year, never growing older because he was dead? Clockwork was right: They would be better off thinking he was dead-dead. They would heal easier if they believed he was really gone, like he should have been had he not already half-killed himself. Sam looked his way, probably not seeing him, all the pain she felt present in her violet eyes showing Danny that her world was just as destroyed as his. Maddie's knees seemed to buckle before she caught herself, barely able to find the strength to stand. Dani fell backwards and curled up into a tight ball with her head between her knees. Jazz's eyes found more moisture to kick out as more mascara joined the rest of her make-up. It would better for them in the long run, true, but at that moment, everything they'd fought for had been lost. Their friend wasn't coming back to them, that was what the Time Master was telling them. Danny was gone for good.

And to them, that meant that there was no way for normalcy to return. There would be no rescue attempts when they got trapped by the bad guy. No one to protect the town for them. No one to fight for the common good with them. They would be all alone in their fight to protect the innocent from the evil ghosts. They would be all that was left to keep the bad guys at bay. And if he came back, they'd believe him to be the bad guy. They'd think he'd want to rule or destroy the world.

It wasn't fair.

"Danny Fenton's death is a great loss for all people, but some good will come of this," the Time Master continued, trying to keep his visitors intact. Ember put her arm around Danny's shoulders as Sam looked his way again before wiping her eyes, getting her mascara rubbed onto her arm, "Perhaps you would like an escort to your portal?" Clockwork gestured to Ember and Danny, drawing every human eye. Danny shifted uncomfortably under the stares. He should have been used to this, but he wasn't. His mother hung her head as she turned to leave. Her son wasn't here for her. Danny wanted to reach out and hug her one more time, but Ember tightened her hold on him.

Dani eventually uncurled herself, but she kept her arms wrapped around her body, like she was trying to physically hold herself together. Danny wondered if that really worked. Maybe he should ask her, but he knew he couldn't. They'd recognize his voice and know that Clockwork had lied to them about whether or not he was still 'alive'. Danny walked over to Dani and put his arm around her shoulders and helped her walk to the Specter Speeder while keeping one hand on her back while Ember helped a falling-apart Sam and Jazz as Maddie followed behind them with Danny looking back at her every few minutes as they walked down the staircase. Maddie might have noticed, but she didn't respond to it in any way. She just continued to look down at the marble stairs.

Danny wondered if his mother was going to be alright. Finding out her son was her 'enemy' and then losing him completely, as she probably believes was going to tough on anybody, but what about his mother? Would she be alright with it, even after a year? He didn't know. He hoped she would be alright, and if something did happen to her, would he be able to help her, even before his sentence was up? Or would she have to deal with it without him? He hoped Clockwork would help them with this, after all, how many times had he helped Danny? Maddie looked at Danny every now and then as they neared the entrance to Clockwork's lair, but then she kept looking away. Had she somehow recognized him? Or was something else bothering her?

Dani seemed alright to walk on her own, so Danny let go of her and went to walk by his mother, making sure she was alright to be with out them for her ride home. He put a hand on her arm and let it slide to her wrist, like he wanted to hold her hand. Maddie looked up, and Danny knew that she would be able to see at least his nose and mouth, if the glow of his eyes didn't shine in the darkness. He gave a weak smile, the best he could really do at the moment, to try to show his mother that everything was going to turn out right. She gave a tinier smile in return. She put her other hand over his and let it rest there. Maybe she could tell that he was a young ghost... or something like that. Maybe she even sorta recognized him. Or maybe she's finally realized that not all ghosts were bad, and that some even wanted to help.

Hopefully, it was the third one. Danny didn't want to wreck what Clockwork was trying to do. He had his reasons, and Danny didn't want his family to suffer. May be they'll move on while Danny was away…

That thought scared him.

He didn't want to be forgotten so easily. But it was what was best for them, in the long run. It was what was best for everyone.

But that didn't mean he had to like it.

He led his family and Sam to the Specter Speeder and watched as they flew away. Danny lowered the hood and turned away, wiping away tears as the Speeder left his sight.

He didn't know that he hadn't left the Speeders.

Dani saw it and held back a gasp. Now she knew that Danny was still—partially, at least—alive. And that it was better to leave the rest of them in the dark for now.

For now anyway.

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A/N sorry again for the delay!

I need some more ideas so I can get the next chapter up sooner! Please send me some!! Pretty please!


	7. Walker's prisonI mean school

Hello peoples that are reading this! I would just like to let you know that Ember is now out of the Shadow Realm! I can now continue writing this without merely wondering what she would say!

Ember: What's the Shadow Realm? All I remember is this cute boy with long white hair coming up and talking to me...

Danny: Er, don't worry about. Can we get on with the story? I'm sure people wanna read that more than this.

Oh, Right! And sorry it's so short. I just wanted to hurry up and get this out!

Disclaimer: Never owned, never will

Chapter 7: Walker's prison—I mean school.

Danny and Ember flew away from Clockwork's tower after the Specter Speeder was well out of sight. Danny growled softly at the fact that Clockwork had been less than helpful about Tucker and his father, or even Vlad. If Danny just knew what Vlad was doing, he could've guessed if everyone else was safe or not. That guy deserved to be in jail, but Danny had no way of knowing if he had gotten any justice. For all he knew, he could have died in vain.

Ember knew her new friend's discomfort. Clockwork had refused to show them anything about her brother as well.

A large shadow fell over the pair.

"Are you Danny Phantom?" A deep, heavily accented voice called.

Danny was so surprised that he 'eep'ed and hid behind Ember. She stood straighter.

"What if he is?" she said back, trying to find a face among the darkness that was floating by them.

The darkness then dispersed, revealing a man in his mid-to-late twenties, with near-bronze colored skin. His brown-grey eyes were piercing, like they could see straight into your very soul...

"Then I must ask that you come with me."

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Danny had no idea when or how they had agreed to go with this... life-like ghost. Danny had had to take a double take when they'd met this guy. He just looked so alive.

Danny thought he looked Mayan, or Aztecan. He was definitely from somewhere around that area.

The new ghost led them to the 'school', as he'd called it, while talking about who he was. He never mentioned his name, though.

He was the principal of the academy, and Walker had contacted him to pick Danny up for the second semester so that he could 'keep an eye on him'.

Then man showed them around and got schedules for both teen ghosts, as Ember had wanted Danny to have at least one friend. They even had a couple classes together.

Danny got a couple language classes, one in Esperanto, the other in Japanese. Danny's excuse for taking that class was because he 'wanted to know what people were really saying in the animé cartoons'. Ember was surprised that he watched those.

He'd also signed up for an intermediate martial arts course so that he didn't get rusty from lack of ghost fighting. Ember didn't fight, so she took an artistic music class instead.

Her class will last two periods, so while she stayed in one class, Danny would go from his fighting class to an art class. Then they had history at the end of the day, apart from the other core classes that Danny was less than enthused about. The principal said that most ghosts' first history classes were on ancient cultures so that when they met a ghost from that time and place they knew how to act around them.

Danny and Ember got a class that taught them everything they needed to know since they were only staying for the semester. It taught Ancient Egyptian, Mayan, Aztecan, Babylonian, and about five more dead cultures. Maybe six.

Learning the languages would be a separate class, for them it would've been an over-the-summer class. But neither wanted to take it. If they needed to, they could probably ask for it at another time, or ask the teacher where they could go for lessons.

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Danny collapsed on his bed as the day crashed into him finally. He'd been feeling just fine until he had made it to his lair, then his body felt like going to sleep. Ember had said that that was how his body would act for a few days until it got used to being completely made of ectoplasm.

She'd also mentioned that school would start next week and that she was taking him clothes shopping tomorrow.

Danny groaned as the torture he was going to endure dawned on him. He had learned a long time ago that girls were murderous when they dragged boys shopping, even Sam was that way.

Danny didn't realize it when his body shut down on him.

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End chapter.

Review please!


	8. Dragging Around

Disembodied Voice Of Some Dude From A Survival Show: After a long case of deadly writer's block for this story, the authoress once again emerges from the depths of her mind to continue the filler chapters of a young boy's afterlife. For this one, we find that the wild undergrowth of a teenage girl's mind is a jungle of untamed thoughts and cats. And some very angry villagers requesting that she stop procrastinating and actually write something before her mother finds out and takes away the computer again for the lack of effort.

Me: *glares at Disembodied Voice continuing to spell out parts of authoress's life* There aren't any angry villagers in my head! They're all very nice and happy, for your information! Hmph! The nerve of some people!

Ember and Danny: *backs away from ranting authoress*

Danny: I'm going to back to the mall...

Ember: And I have a date tonight...

Ember and Danny: See everyone soon? *run out of room*

Me: AND I DON'T PROCRASTINATE ON PURPOSE!

Disembodied Voice: Umm, authoress doesn't own anything. *Glances to ranting authoress* Help me? Please?

Chapter 8: Dragging Around

Ember pulled Danny away from his door and dragged him towards the mall—that Danny didn't even know existed before.

"Ember," he whined. "We don't have to go." He'd been whining like this since she came to pick him up. He didn't want to go to the mall. He really didn't like clothes shopping. His experiences weren't happy ones. Sam would drag him to the Goth store, while Jazz would try to get him to wear bright colors that blinded him more than half the time.

"Of course we do. You can't just go around wearing that all day everyday. You need to get some real clothes. There's this really nice thrift-type shop near the entrance and we can get you some nice outfits," she answered easily. Danny had a feeling that Ember would be more like Sam in the color department.

But hopefully he'll come out alive—well, existing since he wasn't alive anymore.

Just don't tell Ember about his fears. She'd probably Goth him up just for the heck of it. Or kill him. Whichever came first.

Danny couldn't help but wonder which was worse.

Ember led him through the open doors of the biggest building he's ever seen or imagined before taking him to a clothes shop a store down on the right. Danny didn't catch a name, but the signs he saw practically screamed 'clearance sale'.

Ember shoved Danny inside and dragged him over to the boy's section. He almost automatically walked over to the red-and-white colors, but a stern look from Ember made him just look and not touch.

"Ooh! This will make your eyes stand out more," she said, holding up a light blue shirt. Danny cringed at the try-on session that he was most certainly doomed to.

"Ember, my eyes _glow_," he tried to say, but Ember just ignored him.

Ember picked out mostly dark colors aside from a few blue shirts, some red shirts, some light blue pants, a dark blue jacket, and a work-out outfit. Danny wondered why she got him an outfit to work-out in, but he bit his tongue. He didn't want to give her a reason to get even more clothes. She was already dragging him to the underwear section—which he just managed to divert her from, saying that he had plenty tucked away in drawers. He knew because he had looked. He even had a copy of his old wardrobe. Not that he was going to tell Ember. She'd probably make him get rid of it.

After a quick try-on session, Ember got him everything she picked out and dragged him towards the shoe store. She asked his size before looking around. Danny noticed the absence of all but one bag—she had gotten at least five bags-worth of clothes—and Ember explained about some of the cool quirks that were included with the lairs. The ability to send things there with but a thought.

He ended up with a pair of nice black boots and two pairs of dark blue tennis shoes. What he needed two for, Danny didn't know. And he really didn't want to know, to be honest.

She soon pushed him into a bathroom and told him to change into the new clothes. She had handed him a set of light blue with a pair of the blue sneakers. He changed quickly, not wanting to make Ember mad nor risk her coming in. He didn't know if she would, and he didn't want to find out.

As he walked out, he noticed a few stores that had either faded or completely rubbed away signs hanging over the entrances.

"So... What's with the giant super-mall?" he asked while Ember led him to some girl-store.

"Uh, as far as I know, it's a mall that has all the stores that have gone out of business, and a few that were just closed in a few places. There are a few mom-and-pop places—complete with the mom and pop," she answered. Danny 'oh'd before looking at what she was doing. He had followed her towards the make-up part of the store and she was looking at the different eye-liners.

Suddenly, Ember held one by his right eye. Danny jumped and took an unconscious step away. Ember pursed her lips together.

"That one wasn't a good color for you anyway... Maybe black would be better."

"What?" he asked, bewildered. What was she doing?

"Eye-liner, silly. Haven't you ever worn it before?"

"I'm a boy, Ember. Boys don't wear make-up," Danny explained. Ember smirked.

Danny feared that smirk.

Danny still fears that smirk.

He knew Skulker feared that smirk.

The smirk of death. That's what it was.

"Some boys do. You hung out with that Goth chick, so I thought that you would have gotten conned into wearing it yourself," she answered as she picked up another container of eye-liner.

"Er, Sam doesn't push what she likes on others," Danny supplied as he tried to get away. A lady that looked to be in her twenties walked up to them. She had light brown hair, crimson eyes, and a white dress that nearly disappeared at the bottom. Danny didn't look, but he had a feeling that her feet were invisible or something along those lines.

"Do you two need any help?" she asked, her accented voice slightly musical. She saw Ember and smiled. "Did you run out of made-up already, Em?" Ember laughed.

"No, but I do need to get a little more. I was looking for him," she said, gesturing to Danny who protested about wearing make-up again. The lady thought for a moment before snapping her transparent fingers.

"I got the perfect thing for him. Wait here, please," she said before float-running towards the teenage girl working the counter. They chatted a moment before seeming to squeal. The girl at the register put a sign on the counter that said 'be back in five minutes'.

"O-kay. Who was that?" Danny said after a moment of silence.

"That's Lini, a friend of mine. I met her the first time I found myself here. She's from medieval England, so don't worry if she says anything strange. Yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah," Ember responded. Danny understood. Different times meant different sayings. Different sayings meant that things could get mixed up and confused for something else. "The other girl's new though. She must have just gotten this job."

"Why are we getting me make-up again?" Danny asked innocently, sitting down in a nearby chair. Ember sat across from him.

"Because, you'd look really cute with some eye-liner on. Not to mention, all those fan-girls you already have would go crazy when they can see exactly what color your eyes are." At the mention of fan-girls, Danny was immediately shown a mental picture of Paulina. She was undoubtedly his biggest fan. It was a little sickening. Especially since she'd never actually like anyone beyond who they were on the outside and what they possessed.

"Still don't want it," Danny muttered. Ember didn't hear him. Lini came back with the register girl. She was holding a vial of liquid eye-liner. It was black, but that was all that Danny could tell.

"This should work," Lini said as she handed Ember the vial. "It only needs to be applied once a week or so, and it doesn't wash off or smear. Its on sale—today only—and the limit is two per person."

"So we can get four, right?" Ember said easily. Lini nodded, smiling. Ember grabbed her usual make-up so that she wouldn't have to make another trip in a week. She used quite a bit of eye-liner daily, after all.

While Ember got rung up for her purchases, Danny took the time to look out the window at the other stores. It was girl city around here—there was a Build-a-Bear Workshop, a Claire's, a few clothes stores that only sold women's clothing, a couple jewelry shops, and a chocolate candy store.

The register girl walked up behind the boy and tapped his shoulder, effectively making him jump.

"Are you looking for a girlfriend already?" she asked teasingly. Her voice was accent-less. Danny blushed while shaking his head, his white hair falling over his eyes for a moment before he pushed them back. She held out her hand to shake. "I'm Rachel, by the way."

Danny took her hand and shook once. "Danny." Rachel sat down next to him.

"How're you dealing with the...uh, new surroundings?" she asked. Danny shrugged.

"It's...different. I've been in the Ghost Zone before, just not this far."

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about you. When you get to go out, will you go back to being town hero?" the girl asked, moving her dark red hair out of her hazel-ish eyes and tucking it behind her ears.

"That's the plan. They probably won't need me though."

"What makes you say that?"

"Mom and Dad are better at ghost fighting than most people think. They can take care of a few wayward ghosts. They nearly took care of me," he answered. Rachel winced at the implied statement.

"Is that how...?" she trailed off, leaving it up to Danny to figure out what she wanted to say.

"No no no, this happened because the bad guy thought it would be fun to aim a loaded gun at Dad and I got in the way." Rachel was more than a little surprised at how easily Danny could talk about it. He was upset about it—obviously—but it didn't really faze him. He had always known that his way of doing things would someday get him killed. He had prepared himself for death long before anything leading up to this had happened.

It was...sad. A fourteen year old should not have been ready to lay down his life. A fourteen year old should be thinking about going out with friends, looking at finding a date to some dance, remembering some movie that came on the night before, something—anything about just living.

Danny turned back around in his chair to look out the window again. Rachel put one hand on his shoulder and squeezed it before letting go.

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Ember escorted Danny back to his lair. The boy was still getting used to flying in denim, but he was doing fairly well. In fact, he was floating on his back while Ember pulled him by the arm.

The rock star knew that Danny wasn't thinking about that register girl—despite that he had commented about her being pretty—and that his thoughts were directed at what he had unwillingly left behind. The shopping trip wasn't enough to drag his thoughts away from them for very long.

But that's okay. Danny still got some pretty nice things. But then, how to get him to wear the make-up willingly...

Ember will find a way. She's awesome like that. Yeah, fear her awesomeness.

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Ooh, Danny wearing eye-liner...*imagines* Dang! I wish I could draw...

Danny: Um, oh well?

Ember: *whispers* Hmm, I could do this...or this... *normal voice* What? Oh yeah. Too bad. *Goes back to planning*

Review please!


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